NNSA receives largest-ever HALEU shipment from Japan for use by U.S. industry

The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration announced last week that it has transferred 1.7 metric tons of high-assay low-enriched uranium from Japan to the United States.

Done in partnership with Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, the transfer was the largest single international shipment of uranium in the administration's history, according to the NNSA.

The United Kingdom's Nuclear Transport Solutions and Civil Nuclear Constabulary also assisted in transporting the HALEU.

HALEU supply: The HALEU, which was no longer needed following the shutdown of Japan's Fast Critical Assembly, is being sent to the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, Tenn., where it will be reconstituted into a form usable for U.S. industry.

President Trump's Executive Order 14299, "Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security," directed the energy secretary to release into a readily available fuel bank not less than 20 metric tons of HALEU for use by the private sector.

"NNSA is breaking records with rapid approvals and decision making to support America's nuclear industry," said NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams. "Supplying advanced reactor designs with HALEU fuel is vital to making America energy dominant in pursuit of President Trump's vision to strengthen our nuclear industrial base."

According to the NNSA, once processed, the material will help bridge the gap between supply and demand through the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy's HALEU Availability Program.

Nonproliferation: The NNSA added that the cooperative effort signifies a continuation of the long-standing nuclear security and nonproliferation cooperation between the United States and Japan.

"This milestone accelerates our progress towards a secure and independent energy future, while reaffirming our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation," said Matthew Napoli, NNSA's deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation.